MARK'S GOSPEL (2)
MARK’S GOSPEL (2)
JT It may be wisely remarked that we, in taking up a chapter like this, having begun it already, should seek to enter on the whole of the chapter. So that we are not looking at it piecemeal, but seeking to get the mind of God in the particular chapter before us. And then if anyone has anything in mind, to be free to say it, and say it distinctly and clearly so that the whole position will be cleared in our minds, because it is a time of learning, the time is short, and we should seek to get all we can at a time like this.
PA Does the frequency of the word “immediately” or its equivalent indicate how much there is to do and how quickly it must be done?
JT Very good, “straightway” here, for instance, verse 21. So that the word here is, “And they go into Capernaum. And straightway”, that is to say immediately, “straightway on the sabbath he entered into the synagogue and taught”. It does not say what He taught, but the idea is that He is teaching, it is a teaching time.
PA It is a learning time too, the time of teaching, is it not?
JT Well, quite so, it is a learning time. If anyone can teach, let him teach, because “to instruct others also”, 2 Timothy 2:2, would be an opportunity for anyone who has got ability, to teach others also. It does not say what He [p. 25] taught, but that He taught, and of course we have in mind now to teach, between one another to teach, and that what we say may be on the line of teaching; because people need to be taught, and the local people need it too in Knoxville.
PA That is right, no one of us is excused, and right teaching would prevent Jezebel, the false prophetess, from teaching, and falsifying the truth.
JT Very good. They say the church teaches, but the church does not teach, no right teaching is done by the church, it is a matter of gift, what God gives to people to teach.
PA It is individuals who teach, as “The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw” says, “For out of Zion shall go forth the law”, Isaiah 2 : 1 and 3 which would be the administrative side of the truth, and “Jehovah’s word from Jerusalem”, the word would come out of Jerusalem.
AEM The people in the synagogue seemed to recognize that it was more than just an isolated act for they said, “What new doctrine is this?”
JT It says, “And they were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes”. Now I thought that would help, that we should get at the idea of teaching because there is so great a need among the brethren for being taught.
AEM Systematic teaching you have in mind.
JT [p. 26] Quite so.
WS Would you associate authority with the teaching?
JT It certainly says that here. “They were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes”.
AEM Coming back to your first remark about grasping the general bearing of this chapter, do we get here every aspect of service, the gathering of persons by the gospel, the meeting of the power of evil, healing of the sick, cleansing the leper? In a way does that cover the whole thought of service?
JT Just so. I think you would expect, at least I have expected and have learned, that the Lord had in mind at the beginning to open out the truth briefly and concisely. The Lord has that in His mind in the gospel of Mark. It is the gospel of Mark, by John Mark, (not the writer of the gospel of John) John Mark is the one we are dealing with now.
JAP The apostle Paul opening and laying down in Thessalonica - is that similar to teaching “with authority” here?
JT Very good. I would say that fully. Opening first and then laying down. That is what we are trying to do now, open up the thing and then lay it down authoritatively. There must be authority. One cannot say what he pleases, or because he is a Wesleyan or a Baptist. He must have authority and the authority is from Scripture.
RRT And would the authority command obedience? It says in verse 27, “With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him”. If there is authority, on our part there should be the obedience, would you say?
JT Quite so. The word is as you say, “He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him”. There is authority there, the Lord has the power and authority. He is the One that can speak authoritatively.
PA Why is it that the demons never call Jesus “Lord?”
JT Well, because they are demons, they are the devil’s agents.
PA But they called Him “Jesus” and “Son of God”. They even admit that, but not “Lord”, ever. Is that not an important recognition of the authority of the Lord, we always call Him Lord and Lord Jesus?
JT Just so. And the Lord’s day, we happily call the first day of the week the Lord’s day. We have got authority in our minds, that He has peculiar authority in His own affairs on the Lord’s day. It is the Lord’s day, it is not simply Sunday, but the Lord’s day. I hesitate myself to use the word Sunday, although I sometimes do, but I hesitate to do it, because it is the Lord’s day, and it is due to the Lord that we should say Lord’s day, it is His authority there.
WC Did I understand you to say the Scriptures are the authority?
JT Very good, the Scriptures are the authority but then we have to bear in mind the Holy [p. 28] Spirit is here too, sent from heaven. He is not in heaven exactly, although we could never say He is not because He is God, but He is sent from heaven, and there is authority in that He actually indwells the assembly.
JWF So that you would say that each occasion of teaching as well as speaking would be a spiritual manifestation.
JT Quite so. But I would like to know just what is in your mind when you say spiritual manifestation.
JWF Well, I wondered if besides the authority, there would be the power in the Spirit to make it effective?
JT Quite so. God is the Authority, of course, always. God is God, and that involves the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. But we ought to remember, too, that God is to be spoken of to Himself as God, without mentioning the Holy Spirit or the Lord Himself. God is God, He is the Center of everything, and everything flows out from Him. So that in the economy, it is God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There are not two gods or three gods, “there is one God, the Father ... and one Lord, Jesus Christ”, 1 Corinthians 8:6. And then we should add to that, that the Holy Spirit also is God, He is God Himself. In this book here and Matthew the Spirit is mentioned by Himself. It is well to bear that in mind that the Spirit is to be spoken of as by Himself - the Spirit, the Spirit.
JWC The authority of the Lord here seems [p. 29] to be in contrast to that of the scribes. “He taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes”. Would that indicate there were those who had taken on things legally, but without the power of the authoritative action of the Holy Spirit?
JT Well, that is quite right. He is the One having authority; there was such an One here on earth. The Spirit is God too, but then the Spirit is here to teach. The Lord says, “But when he is come, the Spirit of truth, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak himself; but whatsoever he shall hear he shall speak; and he will announce to you what is coming”. John 16:13. The Lord says that Himself. The Spirit is sent from heaven by the Lord Jesus, so He is the One that has authority, I mean He is foremost in it, the One that has authority. The Spirit did not die; the Lord died, the Lord Jesus died, the Lord Jesus gave Himself for the assembly, He gave Himself for it; the Spirit did not, the Father did not, the Lord did. Now these are very important facts, I would say to the brethren, to have in our minds, because they are in the Scriptures, and there is authority to say them because they are in the Scriptures.
WP So it is not the authority in Moses now, it is the authority in the word of God.
JVC In that we have the Spirit, does the teaching become available in cities? It is when they entered Capernaum that He taught. Do we [p. 30] have the same teaching in every city, and do meetings of this character give us right thoughts as to teaching so that in every city there is the same teaching?
JT Quite so. But then you must not confine it there, because there is teaching in this room and it is not a city; the teaching may be elsewhere, you see.
JWF I think what is in mind is the availability of the Spirit in each place so that the teaching would not be confined as it was in the Lord’s day to where the Lord was personally.
AEM Is it not right to say that the Spirit and gift would enter into the matter of the teaching in the localities?
JT Quite so, gift, we add the word gift, what God has given.
JWD Well, do you think it would be right to say that because we have the Spirit in London, On t. and we are reading Mark’s gospel we would get the same light that you get in New York? We have the Spirit, have we not, in the different cities in which we live? We come together in temple light. Have we not the teaching in that locality because of that, the same as you have in New York? Or is it because there is very distinctive gift in one city or another that there is more teaching available?
JT But then you see, it is not simply a locality, it is a question of where the testimony is and where the Spirit resides, because everything is suggested in the Spirit in the sense [p. 31] of teaching. We must bear that in mind, it is not simply because the Spirit is in a certain locality. I mean to say He is in New York because we know there are persons in New York that believe in the Holy Spirit and believe in the assembly. Suppose the saints were all taken up to heaven; we might say, where is the Spirit then, where is the assembly then? We will have to take account of what is actually here, and the Holy Spirit is actually here because He has been sent from heaven. We want to rely on that, that He has been sent from heaven and that He resides in the assembly.
GHMacP In Romans 5 you have the thought of the love of God being shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.
JT It is “to us”.
GHMacP And in chapter 6:17 we have the thought of obeying from the heart the form of teaching which is delivered to us.
JT Very good, that is important.
RRT Is this line of teaching what is involved in doctrine? It says here, “They were astonished at his doctrine”. What relation has doctrine to teaching?
JT Well, of course the word “doctrine”, the meaning of the word implies religious teaching. It is a scriptural word - doctrine. The word is referred to the Lord here. What you have here, for instance, “And they go into Capernaum. And straightway on the sabbath he entered”, the Lord entered, “into the synagogue and taught”.
[p. 32] He spoke of that at the beginning. He taught, the Lord taught, but it does not say what He taught. We shall soon come to it, however, in this gospel. “And they were astonished at his doctrine”, you see it is the Lord’s doctrine, they were astonished at the Lord’s doctrine, “for he taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes”. Well, all that plainly indicates what we have been saying.
PA Where the Lord’s name is recorded, is that really the initial point to start with as having a testimony in it?
JT Very good. We shall come to the word “testimony” here too, down below a little bit. So that we read further, “And there was in their synagogue a man possessed by an unclean spirit, and he cried out saying, Eh! what have we to do with thee, Jesus, Nazarene? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the holy one of God”. Well, that is remarkable that he says that, that God allowed him to say that and Jesus rebuked him. Notice that, “And Jesus rebuked him saying, Hold thy peace and come out of him”. That is what the Lord did, He rebuked him. “And the unclean spirit, having torn him, and uttered a cry”, - notice that, it is a wicked spirit - “with a loud voice, came out of him”. The Lord’s authority is recognized by the wicked spirit here, showing that He has real authority, not only in heaven but on earth too.
He had authority down here. And all were amazed, so that they questioned together among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority he commands”. Notice here, “new doctrine” it is called here, for it was new really, it was new, the Lord did not deny that, that it was new. So it goes on to say, “What new doctrine is this? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him”. That is, the Lord is obeyed here on earth, which is a very important matter to have in mind. And then again it says, “And his fame went out straightway into the whole region of Galilee around. And straightway”, the word “straightway” again, “going out of the synagogue, they came with James and John into the house of Simon and Andrew. And the mother-in-law of Simon lay in a fever. And straightway they speak to him about her”. Simon Peter’s wife’s mother, “they speak to him about her. And he went up to her”, notice this, “and raised her up, having taken her by the hand, and straightway the fever”, note again there that word straightway, “straightway the fever left her”. The Lord caused it to leave her, the Lord had authority here. “Straightway the fever left her, and she served them”. Now I want to point out to the brethren that although the Lord did the thing, the woman did not confine herself to the Lord in service, “she served them”. Showing that her mind was clear, clarified, both as to the Lord and as to His people, which is a very important matter and should enter into the meeting that we are having now, [p. 34] the importance of getting the saints into the truth.
PA Would it be right in case a sister or brother is in a fever that hinders and impairs the service - no service can go on with fever - that it is well to tell the Lord about it?
JT Just so. It is beautiful that she gets the benefit of things that the Lord did to her, “and she served them”, not only Him, but them; showing that the idea of service is extended beyond what is done by the Lord, because we want all the brethren to get service, whoever does it, if you do it or I do it, all the brethren must get it.
AEM Is she not the first one that seems to be stimulated to serve characteristically like the Lord?
JT Well, that is what I think we might see, because she served them, and I think it is very striking, although the Lord had served her, but then she served them, whoever they were, those that were present.
PA Would a sister serve ministerially or administratively? In what way would you consider service?
JT Well, she might serve other ways, she will not speak in the assembly. “I suffer not a woman to teach”, 1 Timothy 2:12, says, but she may speak elsewhere, she may speak at home to teach the family or persons who may be there. There is no reason why she should not. The Lord has given a great place to the sisters recently. And then allied with that is the great fact of the Holy [p. 35] Spirit, the place that the Lord has given Him amongst us. Because at times, it would not be allowed that certain things would be applied to the Spirit or regarded as the Spirit, but now it is evident in that sense that He does say, and speak, and teach. It is recognized by the brethren.
GHMacP Paul himself valued the sisters, did he not, in speaking of Phoebe as a minister of the assembly in Cenchrea, associating her with himself really in the ministry of the truth?
JT Just so, and clothed her very much, also Lydia attended to the things spoken by Paul.
Ques Would this chapter challenge all of us who reside in localities as to whether things are being done and done well so that households are adjusted and service is carried on, and the saints generally recognize authority?
JT Well, of course I value the dear brethren, but then there may be something that I may have to point to that is not quite right, you know. I am not intending to do it, but at the same time there may be something that is not quite right in Knoxville.
Rem Well, I was taking it home to my own locality, that if a servant of God comes into it, one’s desire would be that he would find things being done in the Spirit of Jesus, that there is no adverse spirit or power, but that matters are under the Lordship of Jesus.
AAT We are expecting a number of brethren from England this summer, and would [p. 36] not the service of entertaining the brethren fall on the sisters?
JT A very great matter, how to entertain the brethren; because it is a great opportunity for the brethren in America to entertain the brethren from Great Britain and elsewhere, a great opportunity.
RM It says in verse 30, “And straightway they speak to him about her”. They introduced the Lord to this condition that should be rectified.
JWD And is this power available today, this instantaneous power to deal with evil?
JT I should think so, the Holy Spirit is here, He has not gone back to heaven. I would not say He is not in heaven because He is God. So we must be extremely careful as to what we say about divine Persons, because They are All equal and They are All God.
JWD Do you think this power is much in evidence?
JT Well, I would not say very much, but certainly it is in evidence.
JWD And how would you promote the power to deal so summarily with evil amongst us?
JT Just as we are doing now, individually. I do what I can where I am residing, and I am here.
ACSP Is this chapter calculated to leave us with a great impression of the mightiness of the Person who was present? John says, “Mightier than I”. I wondered whether a greater impression of the greatness of divine Persons would make us more active in faith to deal with things in our localities?
JT So if we think of the divine Persons, if we think of Them, either the Father or the Son or the Spirit, any One of Them is regarded as God. I think that is a very important matter. At the same time, They have Themselves decided to have what we call the economy, the Father being first, and the Son being second, and the Spirit being third. And these matters ought to be understood, and we all ought to have these thoughts as to Them, as to the divine Persons.
ACSP I wonder whether our inability to deal with difficulties quickly does not lie mainly in a lack of confidence in God? I was thinking very generally of persons who are not available to the saints because there is sickness.
JT The power is not available that is needed? Well, we all would say Amen to that. At the same time James has to be talked of. If anyone is sick among you, let him call for the elders of the assembly. Read James 5.
ACSP “Is any happy? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call to him the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall heal the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he be one who has committed sins, it shall be forgiven him”, verses 13 - 15.
JT [p. 38] That is the passage to bring in, and I believe it is very much neglected and very little understood, and very little counted upon. If we pray for a thing, according to James 5, we will get answers. I wish that every brother and sister here would take that to heart; and then look to God to see where he or she is not acting on James 5, in these cases of disease.
ACSP “The Lord shall raise him up”.
JT We have the actual promise that “the Lord shall raise him up”.
AEM You would encourage the brethren to act on that just as it is expressed?
JT I certainly would, and that scripture has been often spoken of in these public meetings; I am sure you know that, and I am sure that scripture is true. And the Lord will honour us if we honour Him, counting on Him to act for us, and counting on Him more than counting on the medicine that we get at the apothecary shops. Count on God to act for us; I believe God will honour us, and if we take it to heart, we shall find that He is honouring us. I would like to hear what you have to say about that.
RRT Well, we cannot help but feel in the practice of medicine that when we are dealing with the saints we are dealing with people who are essentially different from those in the world. We have often noticed the power for healing going beyond what the medicine itself would be calculated to accomplish.
JT Just so, and I verily believe that amongst [p. 39] the brethren there is much better health than there is generally among men.
RRT It says here, “Anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith, shall heal the sick”, but that is not enough. We stop short sometimes with the healing, but then it says, “The Lord shall raise him up”.
JT The Lord shall do it.
RRT There are calculated results now, and power from the Lord that would go on to this matter of service, which you have been speaking of.
JT I think the Lord would certainly honour what He has written down, and those doctors who are treating people, that they will count on this; that surely it will happen because so and so is a Christian. What you say, I would say; that in treating a Christian, God answers the prayer of faith. The passage says so, the passage in James 5 says actually that the Lord Jesus will answer the prayer of faith. But at the same time we must have the whole combination spoken of in the chapter, James 5, that everything has to be gone through, and therefore we should recognize that that has to be so if we are to resort to it. That so and so is a Christian and, therefore, I believe that he will become well, that God will make him well because he has promised to do it under certain circumstances in James 5.
PA The Holiness movement makes a hobby of healing the body, and they miss the whole point. What you have said about this chapter [p. 40] suggests the whole program of the working of this wonderful gospel of testimony. We have to be balanced about things. Would you go with that?
JT I would, and the Scripture has been inspired. I would stress the word inspired. It implies what the Spirit of God is doing in these connections. If I were a doctor, I would say, ‘I count on that in this patient, because he or she counts on James 5, and James 5 is the inspired word from God, directly from God, and I can count on it, so I am glad to go on and help this person who is a Christian, whether man or woman, and God will come in and the brethren will be better off through it’. Because I am certain that the brethren are more healthy than the worldly people are, they have got more good health.
PA That woman was a liability while she had the fever, and when she was raised up, she was an asset, both to the household and to the assembly.
AEM The instruction is to call for the elders of the assembly. In some way would the assembly be involved?
JT I think that is just the point. Because the assembly is in question; that God has such regard for the assembly as an institution appointed by Himself as the vessel of the Holy Spirit, and therefore we can count on things being done by the elders in that connection.
AEM Would that involve the calling [p. 41] of the assembly together in any way? The brethren will be glad of practical help as to how to proceed on these lines.
JT Well, I think those who are here today are to begin to think about the scripture, and if there is any sickness, we should call on God to act for them according to His promise, and all that He says in James 5 ought to be observed.
Not ignored, not simply that God will act, but the things that are said in James 5 ought to be carefully observed and acted upon.
AEM I think we have given more prominence to the word elders than to the word assembly.
JT Just so. Take the whole matter as it is, it is the inspired word involving a promise. And we ought to observe “the elders of the assembly” - in fact there are other things in James of the same kind that have to be observed - and God will honour us if we observe them.
DMH Would you raise the moral question if sickness was because of the government of God on sin, and if we confess it we may get well?
JT Well, it says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”, 1 John 1:9.
RM In James, that chapter to which you are referring, it says, “Confess therefore your offences to one another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed”, James 5:16. Confession to one another, not only the Lord [p. 42] but also to one another, as if there should be the feature of transparency to expose it?
JT I think it is very important that you mentioned that, “to one another”, that “if” there are sins we are to confess our sins one to another, and I think that is very little done at all among us.
AAT I notice that the scripture reads, “And if he be one who has committed sins, it shall be forgiven him”. I am reading James 5. So the elders of the assembly must be acquainted with the sins if they are going to be forgiven.
JT Just so, but we must read and go by the scripture. Read James 5, read it carefully, the part that treats with what we are dealing with.
PEA “Is any sick among you? Let him call to him the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall heal the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he be one who has committed sins, it shall be forgiven him. Confess therefore your offences to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent supplication of the righteous man has much power”, James 5:14 - 16.
JT “He that brings back a sinner from the error of his way”. Read verses 19 and 20, please.
PEA “My brethren, if any one among you err from the truth, and one bring him back, let him know that he that brings back a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death [p. 43] and shall cover a multitude of sins”, James 5:19 - 20.
JT Now I would say to the brethren, affectionately and thoroughly, that we ought to pay attention to these scriptures in the epistle of James because it has an immense bearing on the truth, and will lead to better conditions of health among us, very much better than the worldlings have.
GHMacP Do you have in mind that this would involve an assembly meeting if such conditions exist?
JT Certainly, but I would say in a special case of weakness, I should call for the elders of the assembly, do what it says, do what the scripture says here.
GHMacP I was just thinking in relation to Mr. Darby and others that they practiced this scripture in their day.
JT I believe they did.
ACSP Might I mention that there is a remarkable case in a meeting not far from London where a man was dying of tuberculosis, and he asked the brethren to come and pray, and he made the most remarkable recovery, and is constantly out at the meetings.
JT Very good. I am so thankful; I had not heard of that. Where does he live?
ACSP He is in Sudbury.
JT In Sudbury. Is he a well known brother in England?
ACSP No, he is comparatively an unknown [p. 44] man. His wife came into fellowship, and he had a great desire to break bread, but was quite unable to get out to any meetings; and he asked the brethren why they could not act on James 5. And they said they would come and pray, and they did go, and they did pray, and he got better.
JT Have other brethren taken it up in any way?
ACSP No, I have never heard of any other case but that.
JT I think we ought to take it up more.
ACSP I would like to ask a question: you say to take the whole scripture. What about the matter of anointing him with oil, do you take that literally?
JT Anointing with oil. That is certainly literal. I should resort to it if I were going to use this scripture for the healing of anyone among the brethren and I would use that scripture as it stands in its entirety. I must confess I have hardly ever heard of it in this country. I use it myself constantly, but not with any kind of ostentation, but prove it constantly, “the prayer of faith” that one is helped by it in turning to God, in his health generally. I use it constantly in that way; “the prayer of faith”.
PA Can we put in our soul exercise the meaning that the Lord intended the oil to have with us? What the Lord intends in oil?
JT Well, quite so, why should we not? I am not so sure as to what the oil would be. There [p. 45] might be something said about that, as to the constitution of the oil. But I certainly would regard the scripture in a general way as scripture and inspired of God. “Every scripture is divinely inspired, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, fully fitted to every good work”, 2 Timothy 3:16, 17.
EIE I would like to ask about the selection of elders. Where would you select the elders?
JT It all comes out in the truth. If a person is sick, James 5 contemplates that he recognizes the truth, therefore he recognizes eldership. We recognize and act upon the truth in principle, we do not recognize and act upon the truth literally even today at this meeting. There are many things we cannot recognize and act upon literally, but they did at the beginning; but we are not in the position to do it because of the general position among the saints.
EIE I was wondering really where would we find the elders today in a locality?
JT It is only a question of the truth in principle that we continue to hold, and God recognizes it because we do so, and He recognizes us. The Lord comes into our midst on the first day of the week according to what He has promised us.
EIE I was just wondering, of course, as to whether the elders would be selected, selected from a few in a locality, whether there should [p. 46] be any special brothers selected to carry out this procedure?
JT I do not think it would be just fair to assume that. The Lord is recognizing us as returned and recovered. “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another”, Malachi 3:16, that is the ground we are on. We fear the Lord, and we are not able to carry out everything they did at the beginning of Christianity, we are not able to do it, and God recognizes that and helps us because we are recognizing the truth as far as we can.
GHMacP Your remark is very helpful that we should maintain the principle and truth of the assembly and act in the light of it.
JT God is with us, we prove it every Lord’s day, that the Lord is with us.
Ques May I ask about this matter of oil; was there not the great anointing by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and would not James 5 involve seeing that the one that is sick was in the full flow and power of the Holy Spirit?
JT Full power? We have to raise the question on these points - has he received the Holy Spirit since he believed? Well, if he has not, we would not let him into fellowship.
Ques But suppose the Holy Spirit was being quenched or being hindered?
JT Well, that may be, but then self-judgment will bring about recovery of that matter so that we can go on with the truth. In Summit, for instance, you have no difficulty in [p. 47] going to the meeting there. You prove the presence of the Lord on the first day of the week? So do we in New York; thus we act as proving the presence of the Lord as regards James 5.
Ques But do you not think that the oil mentioned has a spiritual meaning also?
JT I would say that fully. Do you go with that?
AEM Yes. The very use of oil, which is a figure of the Spirit, would involve the whole matter of the Spirit’s part in it.
JT Just so, I would agree with that. What I would say now is that I go with that fully, that the Holy Spirit is here, and we can count on James 5 being carried out according to what is stated there.
PA Do not verses 14 and 15 cover what is not related anywhere else in the New Testament?
JT There is not another passage just like it; and that does not alter that it is Scripture, one passage is enough.
PA Yes, I was just referring to the contents of it, “Think ye that the scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit which has taken his abode in us desire enviously?” James 4:5.
JT Very good. All these scriptures are very good and very important and, I believe, are being received in this hall at the present time, I am speaking confidently. The Lord is helping us, and the Lord is here in the power of the Spirit to be with us, and we are proving it. We are proving in what is coming out that the [p. 48] thing is real, what we are talking about.
PA Would this scripture suggest that the Spirit is sovereignly acting in verse 5 of James 4?
JT Just so. Now I would like to get on with the passage in Mark because there are many things we have not touched yet. But we have touched the leading truths, so it says here, “And the mother-in-law of Simon lay in a fever. And straightway they speak to him about her. And he went up to her and raised her up, having taken her by the hand, and straightway the fever left her”. There it is, “the fever left her”. We have talked about that, “and she served them”. She served all that were there, not simply confining her service to the Lord, but the whole matter was taken on by her. She was in the truth really. And so it says, “But evening being come, when the sun had gone down, they brought to him all that were suffering, and those possessed by demons; and the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many suffering from various diseases”. So that now we have the authority to do these things, just as we have been speaking about James 5, because it is referred to here that the Lord did them, and the Lord would help us to do the same thing.
AEM The healing of Peter’s wife’s mother seemed to have greatly encouraged them to bring all the cases.
ACSP I think the whole chapter, and what has been said about it, is calculated to stimulate our faith with desire to see things [p. 49] done.
JT It is an immense thing for the brethren to look into things and accept them in faith, accept them as scripture. “Every scripture is divinely inspired and profitable”, 2 Timothy 3:16, as though we need to become accustomed to take on scripture and act upon it. I think that is an immense thing reached if we reach that this afternoon.
JAP The Lord Jesus getting up early in the morning to pray would indicate, would it, where the power lies to do these things?
JT That is to say, we would have more time to do things, so to speak. So that we should use time, whatever time we have to carry out scripture and act on the time we have available to help the brethren, wherever they be, whoever they be.
WC How would we bring the whole assembly in?
JT Only the principle of the whole assembly. We cannot get the whole assembly in Knoxville, we cannot get it. But we can get it in principle, and the Lord recognizes that.
WC We would like to know if these exercises should be made known among us that there should be, as in Peter’s case when he was in prison, unceasing prayer by the assembly?
JT Suppose you have a child sick or your wife is sick, what are you going to do about it?
WC Well, I am happy to hear the brethren pray about it, but I do not ask them about it.
JT Well, there is more than that in James 5,
[p. 50] much more. Do you turn to it in any way in your life?
WC Well, I cannot say. We ask about all the brethren, especially when we know they are in need of prayer.
JT But you have not attempted to carry out James 5, “the prayer of faith” have you? Is that what you mean? I am talking about myself, I constantly use it, James 5, “the prayer of faith”, counting on God to act for me in my physical condition.
A.E.M. As regards myself?
JT I have not attempted to ask the brethren to come, because I have not a disease that would be covered under the word - “Is any sick among you?” I think James 5 refers to a serious matter, that is what I understand.
WC I want to say that we have done that, praying for all the brethren that serve and yourself, we are greatly before God to help in that regard.
GHMacP Is it in your mind that we may be stimulated to apply the truth individually?
JT James 5 is a practical truth that can be applied in certain conditions, and should be applied. And I have applied “the prayer of faith” in my own life.
AEM Are you connecting James 5 in a literal sense with some specific disease, some very great disease, not the weakness of old age that we are subject to?
JT That is right, quite so.
RRT [p. 51] Is it important that in James 5 the word “among you” is repeated three times?
JT Showing that it is a characteristic Christian matter.
RRT Basically the company is in mind, and it is what is affecting the company -”among you”.
JT Quite so, and I think if we take that, it will help us greatly.
Rem There was a case in Summit, N.J., of a sister at the point of death, and the saints generally were acquainted with it in a way, and God raised her up.
JT Very good. And I believe this, if we all took it to heart and acted upon it, that we should get great results. The Lord is ready to answer us.
JAP Should it be kept in mind that the exercise begins with the person who is sick - “let him call?”
JT “Let him”, the one who is sick. That is the idea. “Is there any sick among you?” One of the company.
PW It says that “the prayer of a righteous man availeth much”, James 5:16.
JT That is right, “the prayer of a righteous man availeth much”, and why should we not resort to it, counting on the fact that we are righteous?
WP So that the world resorts to change of climate and that kind of thing, and this scripture is over against that.
GHMacP Is it important that Peter comes [p. 52] into this picture, Mark 1:30, as being first amongst the apostles so that he may go out from a right atmosphere in service to become effective?
JT Quite so. Then I should not doubt for a moment that Paul also would act on this matter of sickness, you know. I cannot just recall scriptures that might bear on it, but I have not a doubt that all the apostles and all the early Christians acted on this matter.
WC Paul did in relation to Publius’s father, Acts 28:8,9.
JT Quite so, and Epaphroditus too, Philippians 2:26,27.